Length of life technique variants

1
About the length of life technique:
I’m currently studying the subject and have stumbled upon a basic problem.
I’m uncertain as to which source should I try to master for the purpose of calculating length of life. It would also be useful for the purpose of conducting research on the subject, in the future.

From my impression so far, most contemporary sources use Porphyry’s method, and some use Vettius Valnes or Dorotheus. I do believe Lee Lehman considers Bonatti's method as the most reliable one. I don’t think that many regard Ptolemy’s method as superior and I’m not sure about the Arab sources, but I may be mistaken and that’s why I’d like to hear your input on the subject.

(-) Which Hyleg-Alcocoden algorithm do you use?
(-) Are you familiar with research which compares different methods for famous nativities?
https://www.gurastro.com

2
Dima Gur,

Bernadette Brady in her article 'The Hyleg and Alcoccoden' says "Techniques to determining life expectancy are really concerned with questions of the vitality and life force in a chart rather than the timing of a person's death."

For the calculation of the Hyleg, Anareta and Alcocoden I use AstroFox 0.8
https://af.cpptea.com/astrofox.php?
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And here are guidelines I use
- The destructor of life or Anareta is the planet afflicting the giver of life or Hyleg.
- For the luminaries to be Hyleg preferably Angular and in the first third of the Angular house. If not use the AS, its ruler, co-ruler or any planet conjunct the AS.

- The Anareta can be
a planet in the 8th
the ruler of the 8th even more so if malefic (Mars or Saturn) and afflicting the Hyleg
a planet conjunct the ruler of the 8th
a planet sending a square or an opposition to the 8thH cusp
- Death will strike when the Hyleg or the AS by Primary Direction encounters the Anareta. Confirmation by Solar Return and Profections.
- Check Al-Biruni parts (natal, PD and SR)
Part of Fortune AS + MO - SU (Day) AS + SU - MO (Night)
Part of Hyleg AS + MO - Syzygy (Pre-Natal Lunation)
Part of Death SA + H8 - MO
Anareta AS + MO -L1
Part of Sickness AS + MA - SA (I pay special attention to this one because of the 2 malefics with the AS combination)
- Check Fixed Stars (benefics or malefics)
- Check the Lord of the Year, Lord by Circumambulation of the Bound, Lord of the Profected Year, Lord of the Solar Return.
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- Months when the Sun is squaring or opposing natal Sun are periods of lower vitality and are to be taken into account. Conjunctions depending on the aspect received. Slow down, rest, sleep and eat well.
- Months when the Sun is squaring or opposing natal Moon are periods of stress and anxiety. Conjunctions depending on the aspects received. Pay special attention to your mind and consider uplifting therapies (yoga, meditation, positive readings etc)
- Months when the Sun is squaring or opposing natal ASC are periods of scattered energy. Conjunctions depending on the aspects received. Make sure you put your priorities at the right place.

Always keeping in mind what the Natal is saying.
Death is a very sensitive subject but not something the Ancients were not disregarding and I think we die twice - when we are born and when we die.
In between, we try to understand the why of both ends.

"Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75" (Benjamin Franklin)
Blessings!

4
Dima Gur,

For Astrofox 0.8, I don't know who is the originator but he goes along with Ptolemy's tradition with some reservations explained when you cast a chart.
The creator of this site is based in Germany.

According to Krasi from ancientastrologythemagi.com, the Alcocoden gives the years of life inspired from Dorotheus. One of the problem investigating Valens is that you are in front of a buffet. He lays out all possibilities without rating his own systems. I am not saying they are not valid but it is a lot of hard work to find out which one gives better results.

Quotes from Krasi
"The Alcocoden is the planet that rules the hyleg.
It determines how long a person will live and that is why he is called the Giver of the Years. Alcocoden is also the Guardian Angel of the native*. From which planet is alcocoden or the guardian angel, we understand how the native will be taught. For example, if the alcocoden is Jupiter, the native will have a soft and attentive teacher, if it is Saturn, he will be a difficult, hard teacher, just like Saturn. The alcocoden according to Valens can be a fallen guardian angel and that’s when:
- He is in a falling home.
- Invisible
- Does not make an aspect with the hyleg.
- The rulers of the house and term of the luminaries are in mutual reception, ie. They have exchanged their terms.
If Mars is in the Jupiter term, and Jupiter is in the term of Mars (and they are rulers of the luminaries)
- A fallen guardian angel means that man has no protection from the angelic world. Whether this is really true, it is difficult to say. When determining the years of life that alcocoden gives, it is important to determine whether the alcocoden is a fallen angel or not. This can affect the longevity of the native."

I will post later some useful thoughts on the length of life from an old teacher of mine inspired from Junctin de Florence.
Last edited by Ouranos on Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Blessings!

5
Aphorisms from one of my teacher Henri Gazon (1909-1982). Some believe that he was the astrologer of the late Prime Minister of Canada Pierre-Elliott Trudeau who reigned from 1969 to 1984. He lived just a few doors away from Trudeau. Gazon was also using numerology from the birth date and vibrations of the planets to determine the length of life and he was a master at it. Aquarius with Scorpio rising, he was very secretive and a lot of his writings and formulas have been lost when he died.
He himself says he had been influenced by Junctin de Florence, whom was influenced by earlier writings.
A simple approach from which you can extend by looking more closely to the dignities of the planets.

1. When in a chart the lord of AS and a plurality of planets are in their essential dignities and are not afflicted, we are dealing with a fortunate chart.
2. An eastern planet exerts a stronger influence on vitality.
3. A Direct planet portends longer life than if the planet is slow or retrograde.
4. AS, Sun or Moon in hard aspects with planets in the 6th, 8th or 12th house shortens life.
5. Fortunate Sun and Moon bodes long life even more if in 1 or 10.
6. Several planets in stellium on the AS = short life so much and more if one finds there Mars and Saturn afflicted.
7. The dignified planets (home, joy, trigonocracy etc) in the 1,7,9,10,12 houses extend the life that other indices threatened to shorten.
8. The Sun or the Moon (In Sect) are indicators of life.
9. Sun or Moon (In Sect) in good Hyleg aspect enhances longevity. In poor condition, shortens life. In good aspect at Anereta, protects. In bad aspect, danger.
10. The Sun in good aspect to the Moon lengthens life.
11. Same thing for AS for points 9 and 10.
12. Example:
The Sun in Sagittarius in 11 sextile Jupiter in Aquarius in AS. Jupiter rules the Sun in Sagittarius and they are in good aspect. In this example, the Sun can be taken as the Hyleg and Jupiter as the Alcocoden.
13. For each planet you find 3 series (short, middle, long)
Sun 19, 69, 120
Moon 25, 66, 108
Mercury 20, 48, 76
Venus 8, 45, 82
March 15, 40, 66
Jupiter 12, 45, 79
Saturn 30, 43, 57
14. When the Alcocoden is Angular, it gives the longer years. Next, middle. Cadent, shorter.
15. When the Moon is making a hard aspect to the Sun, it cannot be taken as Alcocoden because it does not give life. But if it is in the 8th, it gives its shorter series. In conjunction with another planet, you need to blend both for the series. Even shorter if there is no reception between the Sun and Moon.
16. Planets in Joy give their longer series.
17. Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in 9 give the middle series.
18. Moon in the 11 give the longer series.
19. Saturn in 12 or Mars in 6 give the middle series.
20. Jupiter, Venus, Sun, Moon or Mercury in good aspect to the Alcocoden adds to the length of life.
21. Jupiter, Venus, Sun, Moon or Mercury in hard aspect to the Alcocoden shorten the life unless they are in mutual reception. Keep an eye on Mars and Saturn.
22. The Alcocoden conjunct a benefic Fixed Star adds to the length of life.
23. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter Occidental decreases the years by 20%
24. Waning Moon or about to leave a sign decreases by 20%
25. Saturn, Mars or Mercury in hard aspect with the Alcocoden and without reception shorten the life span from the middle series. With reception but in opposition decreases by 50%. In square, by 25%
26. Jupiter, Venus, Sun, Moon or Mercury dignified in AS and favorably looking at the Hyleg adds life even if they are not looking at the Alcocoden. Reverse if in fall, detriment or badly afflicted.
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The recipe seems to identify the Hyleg, Anareta and Alcocoden properly.
And it is the combination of several factors (Primary Directions, Profection, Solar Return, Lunar Return, Transits, Firdaria) that will reveal death.
Keeping in mind the vitality of the person,
The Anareta planet will determine the type and cause of death. The placement by House confirms the cause or environment and the aspects will indicate the people involved or circumstances surrounding death.
On a side note, I have seen Jupiter involved more than once in cases of death

Example of Christopher Reeve's death analyzed here
http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11351
Blessings!

6
Ouranos, thank you so much for all this info.

A remark though: astrofox gives the wrong ascendant for me -- 8 Libra instead of 27 Virgo -- there must be something off in their program, at least for my year and place of birth (1964, the netherlands, CET, GMT+1)

7
Annadeer,

I read that AstroFox does not offer support anymore to rectify errors on Time Zones. Try to change the time, see what comes closer.

Maybe the best comprehensive approach to various systems is this one from Deborah Houlding
(Including a table for calculating the hyleg according to Dorotheus, Ptolemy and Alcabitius.)
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/dorotheus3notes.pdf

The website of Alexandre Silva
https://astrologiamedieval.com/Hyleg_Alcocoden.htm

Bernadette Brady
http://www.bernadettebrady.com/Pdfs/Hyleg.pdf
Blessings!

8
Ouranos wrote:Annadeer,

I read that AstroFox does not offer support anymore to rectify errors on Time Zones. Try to change the time, see what comes closer.
Of course, that's what I did -- my concern was/is just that it seems kind of not professional to me that they would sell software that has that kind of errors -- I mean, if one never had one's chart calculated before, one wouldn't know it was off

But anyway, I don't mean to get off the subject of the thread -- thanks again for all your info

9
I know Annadeer. Some mistakes happen in astrology software.
Astrofox is an open-source program, free to adapt and share around.
The grid remains useful to work around astrology literature on the subject.

Best to you,
Ouranos
Blessings!

11
- Death will strike when the Hyleg or the AS by Primary Direction encounters the Anareta. Confirmation by Solar Return and Profections.
does that mean the progressed Anareta or the natal Anareta?

12
does that mean the progressed Anareta or the natal Anareta?
Both.
But it is a combination of factors. Or should I say 'when the stars are aligned'. Even more so if both are involved.

Keeping in mind that a life threatening position might signal a danger to someone with a strong vitality while it may be deadly to a frailed and sick older person.
If it is a sickness, consider all planets as potentially life threatening. I have seen the sister of a friend die of pleurisy when Jupiter by transit hit her natal Moon in Sagittarius (with other factors of course). Jupiter causing an excess of water in the lungs.

In the case of Christopher Reeve I looked at in another post, his accident happened when many directions transits etc were aligned. Isaac Starkman also found additional ones by Secondary Progressions, direct and converse.
In the natal, he had
1) Natal Mars at 18 Sag 15 is in an Azimene degree and the Moon applies to it. Michael Sternback rightfully pointed out that this happened during a horse jumping competition
2) The Part of Infirmity at 16 Gem 52. Conjunct Fortuna and opposite Moon/Mars
3) Mercury, the Ruler of The Part of Fortune and the Part of Infirmity burned by the Sun.
4) Anareta or destructive force (ASC + L1 Sun – Moon) is at 8 Gem 44 which happens to be the same as Fortuna
5) Many other indicators in the PD, SR, Profection and Lunation

Of all the predictive techniques, the Primary Directions is the first one to look at. It is the trigger.

Cheers,
Ouranos
Blessings!